Harry Potter and The Power of Bloodlines
by liamj899
Summary: For years the Purebloods in the Wizarding world have claimed to be superior because of their Families and Heritage. After the events in the Chamber of Secrets Harry is astonished to find that there is some truth to this theory and that his encounter with the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets begins to shake loose some amazing abilities passed down from his ancestors.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer : I do not own the World of Harry Potter and I am earning no money from this work. I am simply let my imagination run wild in this wonderful world that J. has given us.

**Chapter One : After the Chamber. **

Harry, Ron, Ginny and Professor Lockhart stood outside the girls toilet covered in grime, water and in Harry's case, blood.

"Where now?" Said Ron, with an anxious look at Ginny. Harry pointed.

Fawkes was leading the way, glowing gold along the corridor. They strode after him, and moments late, found themselves outside Professor Mcgonagall's office, where they could hear the sounds of a heated argument inside.

Gathering his courage, Harry knocked and pushed the door open.

* * *

For a moment, there was silence as the occupants of the room took in the appearance of the students and teacher. Then there was a scream.

"_Ginny!"_

It was Mrs Weasley, who had been sitting crying in front of the fire. She leapt to her feat closely followed by Mr Weasley, and both of them flung themselves on their daughter.

Harry, however, was looking past them. Professor Dumbledore was standing by the mantelpiece, beaming, next to a tall thin man who was regarding the children with a distinct look of surprise on his face. Behind the desk Professor Mcgonagall, who was taking great, steadying gasps, clutched the hand of a regal looking woman with a kind face who was smiling at the Weasley group hug.

Fawkes went whooshing past Harry's ear and settled on Dumbledore's shoulder, just as Harry found himself and Ron being swept into Mrs Weasley's tight embrace.

"You saved her! You saved her! _How _did you do it?"

"I think we would all like to know that" said Professor Mcgonagall weakly.

"Indeed" The tall man agreed while looking at Dumbledore with something akin to suspicion.

Mrs Weasley let go of harry, who hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the desk and laid upon it the Sorting Hat, and the ruby-encrusted sword and what remained of Riddle's diary.

The strange woman looked at the sword on the desk in astonishment for a moment before glancing sideways at the tall man who was now looking rather confused, they shared a look of guarded surprise before looking to Dumbledore, clearly waiting to see his reaction.

Seemingly unaware of the stares from the two strangers Dumbledore absently waved his wand and four new comfy armchairs popped into existence, he gestured the students and confused Lockhart to sit and began to peer over his glasses at them with his eyes twinkling madly.

"I think that we would all like to hear how you came to rescue Miss Weasley and come to be in possession of these items."

The regal looking woman coughed slightly drawing the attention of Dumbledore.

"Perhaps it would be best to summon someone from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to get to the truth in the most efficient manner possible."

Her tone was light but it was clear that it was not a suggestion. Dumbledore frowned at the regal woman for a second before writing a note on a scrap of parchment and handing it to Fawkes, with a whispered instruction, who promptly disappeared in a burst of light.

Harry glanced at the woman who, he now noticed, appeared to be in her early thirties and _very _attractive. 'Who is she that she can order Dumbledore to do something he doesn't want to do, and why does she want Law Enforcement here?' Harry began to panic as her had visions of him being expelled and having his wand broken, like Hagrid, and being told he had to return to the Dursleys and work as their house elf forever.

Noticing his fear the beautiful woman came about the desk and put her hand on Harry's shoulder comfortingly.

"We just want them here to make sure that the real culprit for this is caught and that we get this whole mess cleared up properly, you won't be in any trouble."

Her words soothed Harry's fears but now he worried instead that they would try to blame Ginny for what had happened.

"But what if they get it wrong, it wasn't Ginnys fault it was Riddle!" Harry practically shouted.

The Professors and the couple of strangers exchanged a glance at this outburst, but it was the tall man who laid Harry's fears to rest.

"Don't worry lad, if you want the Aurors will be able to question you under Veritaserum so they know you are telling the whole truth. They'll get to the bottom of the issue and find the real culprit. With something so serious they could probably use Veritaserum on suspects anyway."

At this point there was a burst of flame and two figures appeared in the corner of the room holding onto the Fawkes' tail feathers. The largest of the figures was a tall, bald black man wearing official looking deep red robes and a single gold hoop in his ear, he cast an imposing sight but his presence was dwarfed by the small but broad witch who had a very square jaw, a nose which looked like it had been repeatedly broken and short grey hair, a monocle rested below her right eye giving her gaze an eerily severe quality. She reminded Harry of the headmaster to his old primary school by the way she looked around the room with a measured gaze clearly taking in every detail of the scene. Her brows furrowed when she saw Lockhart and the three student covered in grime but then lifted in surprise when she took in the strange couple, each of whom had bowed their heads in a respectful nod, which she returned with a confused expression.

"Madam Bones, how nice to see you." Dumbledore said with a smile that didn't quite reach the corner of his eyes.

"Indeed. When I noticed a Phoenix flashing into one of my auror's cubicles I was of course very curious as to what the supreme Mugwump would be doing contacting one of my auror's without going through me."

At this Madame Bones gave a disappointed look at the black Auror before looking at Dumbledore with a disappointed expression. The Auror gave a slight shrug to Dumbledore which clearly showed that he couldn't do anything about her presence. At this point everyone was watching Dumbledore to see what he had to say to the clearly annoyed woman who appeared to be the boss of the Aurors.

"Madam Bones, I can assure you I meant no disrespect, I merely wanted to make sure that I had a trustworthy Auror capable of recording the events we're about to hear without interfering with the records." Dumbledore said in a tone of voice which clearly showed, that he thought, he had calmed Madam Bones down.

Harry however, had plenty of experience with angry adults and knew that the throbbing vein in Madam Bones' forehead was a sign that Dumbledore was just digging himself a hole.

"And you thought that I was incapable of witnessing something without altering the evidence?" Madam Bones asked in a tight voice.

This time Dumbledore caught the warning in her voice and raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"I did not mean to imply any such thing Madam Bones, I have worked with Auror Shacklebolt previously and knew he was trustworthy, plus I did not think that this matter would require the attention of the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, especially since you appear to have no confidence in my abilities..."

Madam Bones who had seemed to be mollified interrupted fiercely at this point.

"What do you mean, no confidence in your abilities? We might not be best friends Lord Dumbledore but I certainly trust you to fulfil your duties to a standard I dare say few could match!"

Dumbledore and Mcgonagall looked thoughtful at this outburst, while both the strangers were watching the interplay between Dumbledore and Bones with keen interest and the Weasleys looked lost.

"What does any of this have to do with my little girl?" Mrs Weasley demanded.

Everyone's attention suddenly turned back to the elephant in the room, the three children and professor covered in grime and the huge sword on Mcgonagall's desk. Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Well yes, I had thought that Madam Bones would not be amenable to hearing Mr Potters story since Mr Malfoy presented me with an order for my removal bearing her signature."

At this Madam Bones' expression flashed quickly from surprise, to anger, to a look of sly pleasure which made Harry feel a little uncomfortable.

"Forging the signature of another head of house, especially one who works in the Ministry and on the Governors board, that is a serious crime, one he won't be able to bribe his way out of." The look on Madam Bones' face was predatory.

"Indeed. But more importantly, we're here to hear the stories of these students to find out what happened, since we were all under the impression that Miss Weasley was taken by the Slytherin's fabled monster to the chamber of secrets. I wouldn't mind knowing how Mr Potter came across this priceless founders artefact either." Commented Dumbledore in a calm manner as if he was discussing the weather.

You could see Madam Bones' mind immediately change tracks as she glanced at the three children sizing them up and looking over the bloody sword of Gryffindor.

"We were hoping that you would take Mr Potters account under Veritaserum." The tall man added.

"A bit excessive don't you think?" Auror called Shacklebolt commented in a concerned tone.

"Well if things are as I suspect, then Mr Potters tale might well be implicating a very important person, of a serious crime. And we would not want any dispersions cast on the veracity of his testimony." Professor Dumbledore added in a cautious tone.

Madam Bones peered at Professor Dumbledore over her monocle at this comment, while appearing very thoughtful and cautious indeed. The strangers continued to watch seemingly pleased with the conversation, while everyone else looked between the Professor and Madam Bones confused.

"Mr Potter, are you aware of what would be required of you for this?" Madam Bones asked in a kind voice.

Harry just shook his head in reply and looked at the Headmaster who smiled encouragingly.

"If you were take Veritaserum you would be forced to tell the whole truth to every question which we ask while we record the conversation. This will allow us to easily find the absolute truth but you should be aware that it is an unpleasant sensation and you are by no means obligated to do this."

"But you'd really like me to wouldn't you?" Harry asked.

Madam Bones just smiled wryly.

"Mr Potter I won't make you do anything you don't want to but this could help us catch and prosecute the person behind the attacks on the school if you believe you have information on the subject. We would of course get permission from your guardian too."

"I'll do everything to prove that Ginny and Hagrid didn't do anything wrong, but I don't know if my Aunt will be very co-operative." Harry said glumly.

"Harry, Madam Bones is talking about your magical guardian, as your parents are dead that by default would be me, as I am headmaster of your school. I will of course give permission if you are sure you want to do this?"

Harry just nodded his head in confirmation. He was bone tired from the fight in the chamber of secrets, anxious about any of his friends getting in trouble and now he was experiencing a hot flush that made him feel as if his skin was on fire under his clothes.

Auror Shacklebolt produced a form from his robes and lair it on Mcgonagall's desk, along with a weird red quill, which gave Harry an uncomfortable sick sensation in his stomach. Madam Bones and Auror Shacklebolt used the quill to fill out the form then sign in the appropriate places. Harry and Ron both gasped when they saw the back of Auror Shacklebolt's hand be cut open in a pattern like his signature.

Professor Mcgonagall muttered a word which sounded vaguely like 'barbaric' under her breath. Harry was then instructed on where to sign the form to give his permission for the interrogation and the recording, he winced when the back of his hand was cut open by magic but finished signing.

Next Professor Dumbledore tried to sign under the bit that said Magical Guardian but the quill wouldn't work for him.

"Odd, might be defective, here try mine." Madam Bones said holding out an identical quill.

The second quill was no more effective than the first and the adults all exchanged a glance.

"What's wrong?" Mrs Weasley asked nervously.

"It would seem that Mr Dumbledore is not Mr Potters Guardian after all, since he cannot sign this permission form. Professor Mcgonagall may we use your floo for a moment?" Madam Bones asked urgently.

At her nod, Madam Bones threw some floo powder in the fireplace and called out clearly.

"Maggie Smith, Ministry of Magic, Department of Records."

Everyone waited as Madam Bones put her head in the fire and talked in a low and urgent tone with someone on the other side. After a while it was quiet and then Madam Bones swore and a hushed argument could be heard. The conversation stopped again and Madam Bones pulled her head out of the fire looking rather comical with two files held in her teeth.

"Took me weeks to learn how to do that. Saves walking all the way down to another department." She explained with a grim smile before sighing. "It would seem that Mr Potters guardian in magical, legal and familial matters is non other than Sirius Orion Black."

The adults all gasped at this and Mrs Weasley and the strange lady, who still had yet to introduce herself, looked at Harry with pity. Dumbledore however looked furious.

"Surely there is a mistake, Mr Potter cannot have a convicted criminal as a guardian! It's not even possible!"

Madam Bones just shook her head with a grimace.

"It would seem that Mr Black failed to ever receive a proper trial and as such he can still hold the position. It's also interesting to note that Mr Potters and Mr Blacks files show that Mr Black swore a magical oath to protect Mr Potter not long after he was born."

Professor Dumbledore swore under his breath and turned to look at the wall clearly deep in thought.

"What does this mean? Who is the Mr Black, why is he a criminal and why is he my guardian?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Harry I don't think we should talk about this, you're still young and it's clearly a complex issue and we are going to have to work hard to resolve this crisis." Professor Dumbledore said forcefully.

Harry didn't want to let it go but it was so hard to argue with Professor Dumbledore, luckily that problem was solved for him by the unknown man.

"Are you mad Albus? The boy has a right to know his own history! Who are you to keep such information from him!"

Dumbledore looked shocked at the outburst from the stranger.

"But Nicholas, Harry is just a boy, he deserves to have a normal childhood, free from stress and worry. It's for the greater good really." The conviction and authority with which Dumbledore spoke was so great that Harry was convinced that it would be best to led Dumbledore handle the issue. He was after all the Headmaster and the greatest wizard of the time.

"Have you gone barmy! You have no right to keep such information from the boy! He is the Heir to an Ancient and Noble House and he deserves to know who his guardian and regent is." Madam Bones added hotly.

"I have to agree Headmaster." Mr Weasley interjected. "From the sounds of it Harry had a stressful year last year and it clearly hasn't been much better this year." He gestured to the bloody sword and grimy children at this.

"I'm the heir to an ancient house? Does that mean when the owner dies I'll own my own house? Could I move away from the Dursleys then?" Harry asked hopefully.

At this statement all the adults gasped and turned to Dumbledore. Madam Bones was the one to speak what was on everyone's minds.

"You didn't explain to him about his position or inheritance?" Her words were laced with such venom that Dumbledore took a step backwards.

"I didn't want to show favouritism, people would talk if..."

"Favouritism!" Arthur Weasley exploded. "He's an orphan and it's your duty to make sure he is aware of his rights, privileges and duties! How dare you not explain this to him!"

Harry gaped at Mr Weasley, since he had known him, which was admittedly a short time, he had never seen Mr Weasley remotely annoyed, but here he was looking like he was about to have a heart attack.

"Arthur is right! It's not favouritism to teach a child what duties they have as Head of a House! This is serious negligence Dumbledore! You tell me right now that you did not do this on purpose and you better mean it!"

By now Madam Bones was almost nose to nose with Dumbledore and Harry could feel a tingle in the air which he suspected was some kind of accidental magic that Madam Bones was performing unknowingly. The headmaster immediately drew himself up to his full height with anger in his eyes and the tingle in the air became a full blown itch over Harry's skin.

"How _dare _you imply that I have anything but the best interests of my students in mind! I would never knowingly hold Mr Potter back from his rightful inheritance, and as you are aware I have never had to deal with such things before, I am not from an Ancient and Noble house thus I have no experience with the matter." He finished defensively.

This seemed to calm the adult in the room, and Madam Bones turned back to Harry.

"Mr Potter, it would seem that a great wrong has been done to you. No single person is at fault for this, after the death of your parents things were in a very bad state. The day your parents were killed and Lord Voldemort died, several death eaters broke into the Department of Records and made of with several files and burned many more in the process."

"It would appear that your file was one of the mislaid ones, as was your guardians. Professor Dumbledore was of course right to think that he had the right to place you with your relatives as your guardian was arrested hours after your parents death, this would usually mean that responsibility for you would fall to close magical family or the headmaster obviously the headmaster made the choice here, he cannot be faulted for this."

"However you are now in an unusual situation. Your true guardian is in Azkaban, the wizarding prison but he is still your legal guardian. We must resolve this as soon as possible. I also think it would be best if we save your tale until we sort this out. We should be able to get an emergency Wizengamot meeting early tomorrow morning and have the issue resolved in no time. Then we'll come back and sort this out."

Harry sat in silence for a moment digesting these facts.

"What exactly did this Mr Black do to get arrested?" He asked curiously.

"He was accused of betraying the location of your parents to Voldemort and killing one of their friends and at the same time blowing up a street full of a dozen muggles. He was hysterical when we found him and evidently he got sent to Azkaban to await trial but his file was lost and he's been left there." Madam Bones pulled no punches and told the facts straight, something Harry was glad for, no matter how much this upset him.

"He betrayed my parents? He's the reason they were killed?" Harry asked weakly.

Mrs Weasley put her arm around Harry and pulled him into a half hug.

"Maybe not." The man named Nicholas added slowly.

"What?" Dumbledore and Bones asked in unison.

"Nick is right, if he swore an oath to protect Harry then he couldn't have betrayed the location of the Potters without dying." The beautiful woman added.

"Which confuses the issue of who betrayed the Potters." Madam Bones filled in.

"It could have even been Pettigrew." Added Auror Shacklebolt helpfully.

"How do you figure?" Asked Mrs Weasley. "The poor dear was blown to pieces by Black!"

The Auror nodded slowly.

"But if Black didn't betray the Potters, perhaps he knows who did? And maybe confronted them?" He suggested.

"You're saying that Pettigrew could have been the traitor?" Madam Bones asked.

"Yeah, it makes sense. Black was there after the Potters were killed right? So he goes into shock and knows the real secret keeper and goes hunting for him. In his rage a bad spell takes out the entire street maybe?"

"Not possible." Said Madam Bones with certainty.

"Of course it is, Black was always the hasty one, constantly getting James and the other two into trouble." Said Mcgonagall.

"Not that, sure he could have gone after Pettigrew, I'm almost certain of that in fact, however Black was one of our best new Aurors. He could hit a death eater at a hundred feet nine times out of ten. So why would he get so close to Pettigrew and blow up the street? It makes no sense."

"Maybe he was so distraught he just wanted to kill him?" Shacklebolt suggested.

Madam Bones just shook her head.

"Sirius came from one of the darkest families around, one with a known ability for dark arts, he wasn't one of them, that was for sure, but the only Auror who knew more curses than him was Moody and only him and James could beat him in a duel. He could have killed Pettigrew at least twenty ways from ages away. It's starting to look like a frame up to me." Bones declared.

Harry looked about at the sad faces who were all trying to figure out who had betrayed his parents. And he had an idea.

"What if no-one betrayed my parents?" Harry asked drawing odd looks. "If Voldemort was the most powerful dark lord for years couldn't he have just tracked them down alone?"

Professor Dumbledore just shook his head sadly. His eyes didn't have any of the twinkle in them any more.

"Harry, your mother was the best charms student to pass through Hogwarts since, well myself if I can be so vain. She would have used plenty of defensive charms on their home and I know for a fact that she implemented the Fidelius charm which can hide an entire house inside the soul of a secret keeper. Only that person could tell someone where to find them. Even if Voldemort was somehow in their front garden looking through their window he wouldn't be able to see their house at all. Their secret keeper must have betrayed them Harry. I'm sorry."

"What kind of a coward would just betray his friends like that!" Ron shouted out before being glared at by his mum.

"We aren't accomplishing anything at the moment by just theorizing. I want you four to go take some dreamless sleep potion and have a good nights rest. Kingsley I want you to stay and keep an eye out. If you see Lucius Malfoy arrest him and send him to the cells. Headmaster it seems we have work to do."

"I'm sure by working together that we will be able to accomplish our goals, Lady Bones." Dumbledore said confidently.


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer : I do not own the World of Harry Potter and I am earning no money from this work. I am simply let my imagination run wild in this wonderful world that J. has given us.

**Chapter Two: Trials and Truths.**

Harry awoke slowly and noticed the red tinge behind the glass windows in the Hospital Wing which clearly signalled that it was just about dawn.

Memories of the previous evening filtered back one by one and his stomach began to do flip flops. Very little had actually been explained to the adults and they had been rather confused by the end of the evening, but everyone was happy knowing that whatever had been hurting the students was no longer a threat.

They were however very concerned about how the entire affair had been handled. It turned out that Lucius Malfoy had got rid of Dumbledore by threatening, bribing and forging signatures on an official form. Madam Bones was very optimistic about catching him in the act too since she was a Governor and she had not signed the form. Her word would be powerful in a trial, but more importantly there was enough cause to arrest Malfoy senior and force him to take Veritaserum on trial.

The two strangers had never been properly introduced, all Harry had found out was that they were personal friends of Dumbledore and had lots of connections and were going to try and help catch whoever was behind the opening of the chamber.

The Professors and Madam Bones were very shocked when they tried to speak to Lockhart but Madam Pomfrey was certain that it would be easy to remove the memory charm when necessary. She has said that it was poorly cast to begin with, and that the broken wand meant that the spell had mostly spread outwards and Lockhart only got hit by a bit.

The three students had been put to sleep with dreamless sleep potion but several times in the night Harry had woken up sweating and itching and needed another dose.

* * *

As he focused properly on his surroundings he noticed that he could quite see properly, probably due to the dark, he concluded. The sun was only just peaking over the horizon outside and the hospital wing was still in shadows.

Looking left and right Harry was able to see that Ginny and Ron were both sleeping deeply still so without anything else to do he sat up and stretched, trying to get the knots out of his muscles that came from sleeping in the hard, uncomfortable beds in the hospital wing.

They're probably so uncomfortable so that people will want to spend even less time in here, Harry thought with a chuckle.

After a few minutes Harry realised that his glasses were on the table next to his bed. Frowning he reached over and grabbed them, hastily putting them on his face. As he had expected, for some reason the glasses didn't seem to help his eyesight much, and in fact his eyes began to hurt as he tried to look through the lenses.

He heard a rustling sound and tried to squint to see who it was coming in but had no luck with the lenses making his eyes hurt. Taking his glasses off the world suddenly came into sharp relief, he was able to see clearer than he ever had unaided. It wasn't yet the level of eyesight he could get with his glasses previously but it was impressive.

Madam Pomfrey finally reached him and began waving her wand in hectic motions while muttering spells under her breath. This went on for a few minutes until she finished and tucked her wand into a pocket.

"Well, Mr Potter, you once again are making my life difficult. It appears that for some reason there are some changes happening in your body. I'm unsure exactly what is causing it but I'd bet it has something to do with that impressive scar on your arm."

At this Harry tugged the edge of his T-Shirt sleeve. Professor Mcgonagall had conjured him one last night after they had bagged his old clothes as 'evidence'.

He'd tried to tell them that his T-Shirt was only evidence that the Chamber of Secrets needed a good cleaning but Madam Bones was being very strict on how the whole affair was handled. She was very concerned with doing the whole investigation right and making sure it was all above board.

"Are the changes bad?" Harry asked nervously.

"Hmmm, I don't think so Mr Potter, but it's hard to tell. Physically you haven't changed much at all, there appears to be some kind of slow growing process going on in your muscles and skin and something is definitely changing in your eyes."

"Yeah, my glasses hurt my eyes this morning but I can see fairly well at the moment without them, I mean things are still blurry but not as bad as before. Why is this happening?"

"It would appear that you have some kind of venom in your system, and though it is extremely poisonous it's not killing you but instead seems to be healing you. Odd. But give me your glasses, a simple spell will make sure they stay at optimum strength for your eyes. But it'll only last a while, I can't do permanent charms."

Harry nodded and took his glasses back from the nurse and found that once again he was able to see perfectly.

"Thanks Madam Pomfrey. Has Professor Dumbledore gone to the ministry yet?" Harry asked nervously, he knew the odds of getting out of this bed were very low but he wanted to see his guardians trial.

"Not yet Mr Potter, and I don't think it's a good idea for you to get up yet either." The nurse said sternly.

"Please Madam Pomfrey. I feel fine, actually I feel fantastic except for these hot flashes and itches."

Madam Pomfrey gave him a severe glare.

"Hot flashes you say Mr Potter? Do you feel nauseous or dizzy too? Can you describe the flashes to me?"

"Ermm no I don't feel dizzy or sick, it's just every now and then my skin just gets really hot for a second it feels like my skin is on fire under my clothes, but I'm not being burnt you know? It just comes over like a wave then goes away."

"Interesting. You just described a Magical growth spurt to me Mr Potter."

She immediately began waving her want in a complex pattern and muttering long Latin phrases. After a few minutes work Madam Pomfrey frowned.

"What's wrong?" Asked Harry nervously.

"That just it Mr Potter. You appear to be fine. No typical magical exhaustion, no danger of an unstable magical core but you seem to be mildly resistant to passive magic, which is _very _interesting."

"Is that bad?"

"Not really, it could make it difficult for you to ever apply something like a glamour, or any minor charm, and you'll probably be resistant to most mild charms. Hexes though will still get through."

"What kind of charms would I be immune to then?" He asked curious.

"Resistant, Mr Potter, and probably anything that changes your appearance, they are usually low level charms absorbed into the skin or hair, you'll probably be pretty resistant to things like cheering charms, sobering charms and probably immune to things such as Confundus charms." Madam Pomfrey finished her explanation.

"If you're resistant to most of that then I'd bet you're fairly resistant to most mind magics too Mr Potter. Perhaps even love potions, Veritaserum or the Imperious curse. Memory charms too probably." Professor Dumbledore added as he watch Madam Pomfrey finish her examination.

"Is he healthy enough to travel Poppy?"

"Well, I suppose so, but I really would rather keep him in a bit longer Headmaster."

"Alas, I'm afraid that Mr Potter and I have plenty of business to attend to today. Nothing physically strenuous I assure you. Though he will have to take Veritaserum later, maybe in light of these results, a double or triple dose is in order." Dumbledore mused aloud.

"Well, if you must take him, then I doubt I'll be able to stop you. Just make sure he's back here by a decent time and that he eats properly today!" Madam Pomfrey admonished.

The Headmaster just chuckled at the stern witch and handed Harry some nice new trousers, shoes a shirt and very posh robes in bottle green.

"I took the liberty of picking these up for you Mr Potter. We Have much business to do today and first impressions can help a lot. Madam Bones and Mr Weasley both informed me that I have been quite remiss in my duties to you, and so today we will attempt to rectify that. Why don't you pop these on and I'll give you our itinerary on the go."

Working quickly, Harry threw on the new clothes and marvelled at how they completely changed his appearance. He looked ten times smarted than he usually did and he'd almost go as far as to say that he had something of a look of power about him. Nothing compared to the Headmaster who managed to captivate the entire room with just his presence but noticeable.

Harry walked alongside the Headmaster, in silence, as they headed for his office. He was so lost in his thoughts it wasn't until they were on the seventh floor that Harry began asking questions.

"Sir, what is an Ancient and Noble House and why am I an Heir to one? Is this because of Voldemort?" He asked hesitantly.

"No, my boy, an Ancient and Noble House is a family of wizards and witches that can say that every person in their family for twenty one generations has been a witch or wizard. The Potters are an old family, dating way back to before the times of King William the First, which means your family is over a thousand years old. When the Wizengamot was founded in 1136 the Potters were only just an Ancient and Noble House but they were one of the seven first families and with the other six families they continued to grow in power and wealth over the years until today you are probably one of the richest people in the world due to the potter fortune which expands all over Europe, America and Australia. Do you understand?"

"Wow. I knew there was a lot of gold in my Gringotts vault but I didn't know it was that much!" Harry said in awe.

The Headmaster began laughing at this.

"Harry that vault is one that is permanently maintained by Gringotts and Hogwarts just for the Potter family and it's allies. I'm not aware of the exact amount but I believe that less than one percent of your total wealth is put into three vaults, one is used to pay for the tuition of all Muggleborn or needy students at Hogwarts, the second is for any Potters or allies under-age to use for school supplies, that's the one you use, and the third was the leftovers every year which could then be used by the current Headmaster with the permission of the current Lord Potter. That vault used to maintain almost all of Hogwarts, but unfortunately I haven't been able to access that vault for thirty years now."

"Wow. So the vault I use is one third of one percent of my money?" Harry asked confused.

"I'm not exactly sure to be honest Harry, it's Potter family business and thus private. But I believe it something like a quarter of a percent of your total wealth added every year but once it reaches a specific point the excess is put in the third educational vault, or the first if it's needed."

"So are the other two vaults still used Professor?"

"I'm afraid not my dear boy. Both require Lord Potter to approve each years use." The Headmaster said sadly.

"Well can't I approve their use?" Harry asked trying to be helpful.

Dumbledore chuckled again.

"I'm afraid not Mr Potter, you have yet to take your position as Head of the House and so you can't make such decisions yet. Not that I'd ask you too anyway. I don't want you to feel like I'm telling you this to make you feel guilty or anything. Madam Bones was quite suspicious of me and I must say it rather offended me. I have little use for Money these days. What do I need it when I live, eat and work at Hogwarts?"

"I don't think you're trying to manipulate me sir. But if I could give the school that money I would. It's only a small amount of my wealth you said so I wouldn't need it, and I'd like to help the school."

"Harry, you really are a rare child. Not many would be so selfless." The Headmaster said with his customary twinkle. "Ah here we are. Gum Drops!"

At the sound of the password the stone gargoyle that the two were standing in front of stepped aside to reveal a staircase moving upwards. They both went up to the Professor's office which Harry noticed was still full of weird trinkets and portraits of past headmasters.

"You've travelled by Floo before, I believe, Mr Potter?"

"Yes sir. I didn't like it much though."

The headmaster chuckled and waved his wand in a complex pattern over the fireplace, after a minute or two there was a dull pulse of light on the fireplace and the Headmaster grabbed some Floo powder from a holder nearby.

"We're heading straight to Gringotts today Mr Potter. Just say, Gringotts, atrium."

Harry took the Floo powder from the Headmaster and this time made sure he pronounced his destination right when he threw down the powder. Instantly the world span away as he rocketed up the chimney and over grate after grate until he saw a large white grate and felt himself fly out of the grate into an undignified heap on the floor.

A second later the Professor Dumbledore stepped out easily and smiled when he saw Harry dusting off his knew robes and checking for tears.

"Right Mr Potter stay close please." The headmaster said before striding off toward a counter on the left side of the bank floor.

All around them, people were going about there business, Goblins were going over forms and counting out gold and weighing gems while witches and wizards strode about briskly, trying to get their business over with as soon as possible. The side counter that Professor Dumbledore was headed for was only manned by five Goblins and one of them was a Goblin that Harry Recognized from his first visit to the bank.

"Professor, the Goblin second to the left is the one who took me to my vault on my first visit, Griphook was his name I think."

The Headmasters eyebrows raised up and he smiled.

"Well done Harry, there are few people who can remember which goblin is which, and even fewer who care to try. Why don't we go to him and say hello? I'm sure he can help us with our business."

Harry nodded and when professor Dumbledore indicated he took the lead and walked confidently up to Griphook's desk.

"Hello Griphook, I don't know if you remember me. My name is Harry Potter, you took me to my vault on my first visit. Professor Dumbledore says that we have business you can help us with."

The look on the goblins face was rather comical. As soon as Harry addressed him by name he was shocked but he was even more shocked by the seemingly polite form of address. True it wasn't proper goblin manners or greetings but it was still impressive for a human teenager to be so polite.

"I remember well your first visit Mr Potter. And I would be honoured to help you and Mr Dumbledore with your business on this day." This statement was accompanied by a tight mouthed smile which looked rather forced but harry noticed a twitch in the corner of the goblins mouth and creases about his eyes which indicated happiness and amusement.

"Master Griphook, our business in Gringotts today is varied but all in relation to Mr Potters accounts. First, he is unaware of his full holding and so I think he will require a full audit and summary prepared as soon as possible, secondly from what I can gather Mr Potter may have slain a sixty foot long Basilisk yesterday. As such he will require a contractor to help with rendering materials and a broker for subsequent sales, a list of suitable companies or people would be much appreciated. Thirdly, the subject of Mr Potters magical guardian recently came into question and we would like any documents pertaining to that issue, most notably his parents wills. And lastly Mr Potter will be needing to make a withdrawal from the Potter Family Education fund for supplies, this summer it is my intent for Mr Potter to undertake several extra-curricular projects and he will require proper materials. We thank you for your efficient assistance in these matters, Master Griphook.

Harry thought that Dumbledore was quite rude just listing everything he wanted to do but it didn't seem to bother Griphook if anything he looked pleased at the brevity of the requests.

"Gringotts does regular audits of it's largest accounts every five years and the most recent for the Potter account would have been October just gone." Griphook supplied after checking papers he took form a drawer below him.

"I can request that it be made into an easily readable format for Mr Potter, and have it delivered later this week?" He slightly raised his eyebrow.

Harry nodded emphatically.

"That would be great thanks Griphook. It's recent enough that I'll know roughly what I have."

"I shall arrange that then. Your second request is an odd one but we can accommodate, however I can tell you now that if you allow Gringotts to perform both of these duties you will get the best deal as few people can do fine work like a goblin."

"And of course goblins are famed for being amazing business men, so that would be perfect."

"Thank you Mr Potter, you compliment all Goblins with your words. I shall arrange a quote for you and I shall send you an owl as soon as I have news. Onto the third request, I fear I must ask what is your interest in Mr Potters guardianship Mr Dumbledore?"

"Purely benign do not worry. Mr Potter needs permission to testify in court as to how he slew a Basilisk and everything he knows on the subject. We wish to make sure that Mr Potters interests are protected and time is of the essence on this matter."

"Very well, I apologize for having to ask that Mr Dumbledore, I wouldn't want Mr Potter here being tricked into giving away his fortune now. Gringotts likes to protect it's customers."

"Completely understandable Griphook, I'm very glad that the Bank has such a policy, it's nice to know someone is looking out for me." Harry said with a smile.

"It's our pleasure Mr Potter. I can have both of your parents wills brought down here straight away as well as any active or unfulfilled magical contracts for house Potter at the moment if you would like?"

"Gringotts can keep a record of all magical contracts for a family?" Professor Dumbledore asked shocked. "I thought that only the ministry knew how?"

Griphook gave a toothy grin.

"It is an added extra which the largest clients can pay for, most don't as it's a very expensive service, as we have to manually check the hall of records weekly for new contracts and debts, however the cost is easily covered from the interest from the Potter Investments and I have fifty years of Magical Contracts on file I believe."

"That would be fantastic! It seems that there has been a discrepancy with Mr Black who is supposed to be Mr Potter's guardian and we will be going through a proper trial for Mr Black today and an evidence presentation for Mr Potter later."

"Interesting. The Black family accounts are of course managed by Gringotts also and of course customer privacy means I can't give explicit details, but I can say that the Black fortune has been neglected for the past eleven years, as the current head, Mr Sirius Orion Black is in Azkaban. Usually this would cause the Headship of the family to return to another branch but there is a little ambiguity here. No one has yet claimed Headship so another male descendant might be able claim the title and thus control of the family. Mr Potter could do this."

Professor Dumbledore seemed to think for a moment.

"What exactly does this involve?" He asked cautiously.

"It's rather simple Mr Dumbledore. Mr Potter simple puts a single drop of blood into a bowl into a mixture we then pour on a sheet of paper and we will be able to see all of the titles he can claim outright, inherit or contest for leadership. This is a fairly standard procedure and it would allow Mr Potter to claim Headship of House Potter at least and would also immediately emancipate him. Allowing him to sign any legal documents alone and protect him from a possible, unfit, guardian."

Professor Dumbledore seemed uncertain for a while but Harry knew what he wanted.

"I want to do it. If this stops anyone else from controlling me that is good. And I know that realistically I'll have to go back to the Dursleys but I'd be able to do magic right? That would keep them off my back."

"Indeed you would Mr Potter. You have a cunning mind there." Griphook complimented.

"Very well Harry, but I want a promise from you that you will go back to your Aunt's house at least for three weeks to recharge the Blood protection okay?"

Harry nodded emphatically yes causing Griphook to smile and reach under the counter and pull up a metal basin, he then uncorked a small bottle and poured a black inky mixture into the bowl then lifted up part of the counter to allow Harry to step round.

"Mr Potter will need to come back here for this bit and only he will be allowed to see the parchment. Not please just prick your finger on that knife there and let the blood drip into the bowl and then just pour it on to that piece of blank parchment, don't worry about spilling it, the parchment absorbs all the ink."

Harry did as directed, pricking his finger and letting a few drops of blood into the mixture, which then turned the exact shade of green as his eyes with swirls of bright violet in it. He then poured the mixture onto the parchment and as Griphook had said the parchment just absorbed all the ink.

After a few seconds writing began to appear on the parchment.

**Harry James Potter.**

Son of **James Charlus Potter** _(Head of House Potter)_ and **Lily Marie Evans** _(Head of House Yvain)_

Rightful titles,

Grand Prince of the Royal House of the Romanovs,

Arch Duke of the House of Holstein-Gottorp,

High Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter,

High Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Dackshoi,

Lord of the Noble House of Karkund,

Lord Gryffindor, Head of House Gryffindor,

Lord Ravenclaw, Head of House Ravenclaw,

Inheritance Titles,

Lord Hufflepuff, Head of House Hufflepuff _(2__nd__ candidate)_

High Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Black _(2__nd__ and 5__th__ candidate)_

King of Great Britain, Head of House Windsor _(12__th__ candidate)_

Disputed Titles,

Lord Slytherin, Head of House Slytherin _(By Right of Conquest)_,

Lord Pettigrew, Head of House Pettigrew _(By Right of Conquest and Blood Feud(Pending))_

Arch Duke of Hogwarts, Head of Hogwarts alliance. _(By Right of Best Claim)_

High Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Black _(Absentia clause)_

"Holy Shit." Harry whispered.


	3. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer** : I do not own the World of Harry Potter and I am earning no money from this work. I am simply let my imagination run wild in this wonderful world that J. has given us.

**Chapter Three: Money, Money, Money.**

"Holy Shit." Harry whispered.

"I take it that you are entitled to another title Lord Potter?" Griphook asked curiously.

"Not just one at least six! And I'm twelfth in line to rule Britain! Jesus Christ!"

Griphook and Dumbledore both stared at Harry wide eyed.

"Related to the Queen?" Dumbledore repeated softly.

"Yeah it says under Inheritance Titles that I'm the twelfth candidate. And under disputed titles there is the House of Pettigrew, By right of conquest and Pending Blood feud. And the Ancient and Noble House of Black, Absentia Clause. What does that all mean?"

"Well Lord Potter, the Absentia clause is simple, it means that the family succession evidently has some kind of time limit in which a Lord must claim his title. It's fairly common, so that if he fails to claim it in time, usually ten to fifteen years, then the next candidate will get the title. House Pettigrew is more difficult, right of conquest and Blood feud means that for whatever reason you already have a claim because someone beat him in a duel and you inherited that debt, and the feud is presumably because he broke some kind of contract or loyalty. No doubt that will be made clear in the contract files Lord Potter."

"Why do you keep calling me Lord Potter?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well I assume that this means you can claim your Lordship, therefore you are now Lord Potter by law and I should address you as such. Unless you have an alternate title my Lord?"

"Please Griphook, just call me Harry. You have been very helpful so far and I'm very appreciative."

"Very well then Harry. Now we have a few more things to do. I will have to get you a claiming box."

"A claiming box?" Dumbledore and Harry asked in unison.

"Indeed. They're very difficult to enchant but once made you simple smear a drop of blood on top of the box and you'll be able to claim and of your titles and thus make the Family ring appear in your box. It's very useful if you wish to claim multiple families, or wish to claim at a specific time. Shall I get you one, Harry?"

"Yes please, I'm definitely going to need it. If I have more than one ring do I have to wear them all?"

"Well, yes. But not all families use rings. It has to be a circle of some kind, a bracelet or circlet maybe, maybe even some kind of piercing. Some are even interchangeable. But you must be wearing it all the time in order to be the official Head of House. Most have charms to make them invisible or comfortable so you won't notice them too so I wouldn't bother too much. Now let me just go get you a box and the right paperwork and I'll be right back. You keep that parchment, of course only you can read it anyway."

Griphook walked off and pushed against a seemingly blank patch of wall which swung inwards to reveal a passageway, before swinging back out to block it off again. Harry turned to look at Professor Dumbledore who appeared to be humming some kind of tune under his breath.

"Is this going to help Ginny Professor?" Harry asked, concerned for his best friends sister.

"Well indirectly I suppose. But most of this is to help you Harry. If Miss Weasley has indeed done nothing wrong, and I have no doubt that she hasn't, then she will be fine. Madam Bones is just trying to push for a more official presentation of the evidence in order to further our aims."

"Our aims professor?" Harry asked confused.

"Well, by our aims, I mean a mix of mine, Madam Bones' and yours Harry. Madam Bones wants to root out corruption in the ministry and get certain powerful people put behind bars where they belong, you of course have aims even if you don't know them yet. You wish to help your friends, you wish to complete your schooling, you wish to make sure that the people actually responsible for your parents deaths are punished, all noble goals Harry. And there is nothing wrong with being a little sneaky to accomplish your goals."

"You didn't say anything about your goals professor." Harry said with a smirk.

"You know what I didn't, did I?" The Professor did his usual eye twinkling routine and began humming again.

There was a small click which marked the return of Griphook through the concealed door. He was carrying a thick file, with a small oak box on top and a few forms on top of that.

"Here we go then. This file is designed to work similarly to the Claiming box. The current Lord Potter simply has to place a drop of his blood on the file and lay his ring on the file and it will update to show all of the Debts, Contracts and Agreements made by the family. This will include the Will of the Potters as it is a magical contract. This is your claiming box and on top here we have your official emancipation papers, registration of adult address forms, registration forms for the Wizengamot seat, forms for an official proxy, I doubt you wish to sit on the Wizengamot yourself, and last but not least registration of ascension."

Harry looked at the pile of forms a little daunted. He looked to Professor Dumbledore to see that he looked equally impressed by the pile of paper work.

"What are all these for?" Harry asked.

"Well the emancipation papers have to be signed by yourself and two witnesses to say that you have become emancipated, but first you must fill out the ascension papers which are much the same but state simply that you have taken on the head of family role. This too requires two witnesses, after those two you will have to register your address and state that you are the only witch or wizard living there so that they ignore magical alerts from that area. Then of course these forms are so that you can claim seats in the Wizengamot, anyone who is Head of a Wizarding House can claim a seat, the Noble houses can claim two seats while Ancient and Noble houses can claim three. Of course actually attending is probably not possible or desirable for you at the moment Harry, so the second papers will allow you to nominate a proxy, who can use your votes for you if you so wish. Be careful who you choose for this, as your three votes can change a lot."

"An impressive amount of paperwork indeed." Professor Dumbledore remarked. "I have a couple of concerns, firstly will Harry registering his address be accessible to the public? And secondly must he claim all of his Wizengamot seats at once or can he wait, and finally of course if he has multiple seats can he designate multiple proxies?"

Griphook just smiled at the Professor. "Mr Potters address will of course be sealed and will only be kept as a matter of record and it once the forms are filled out, they aren't copied per se, but instead go to a self updating record system which tracks under age magic. It would take a lot of time and effort to get a single address from that system as it was designed in response to Muggleborn children being kidnapped as children and raised as Wizards."

"People actually did that? Kidnapped children?" Harry asked aghast.

"I'm afraid so my boy, it was before my time but even when I was a boy everyone was of the belief that Muggleborn students should be monitored closely to stop them from either revealing our world and to protect these vulnerable minors. Wizards can't reproduce as much as Muggles so every child is incredibly precious in our world. It's why child abuse is unheard of." Professor Dumbledore finished his lecture with a smile.

"I never knew that. But I guess you learn something new every day." Harry joked.

"Indeed, my boy. Out of interest what would you say that you learned yesterday?" Dumbledore asked curious.

"If ever you want to kill a basilisk you should stab it in the mouth with a sword." Harry said deadpan.

Griphook and Dumbledore both looked rather startled at this and wore comically similar expressions of shock and admiration.

"Something wrong Professor, Griphook?" Harry asked cheekily.

Griphook snorted and began to laugh, a deep belly aching laugh. He slapped his leg in mirth and soon enough Professor Dumbledore had joined him and was chuckling uncontrollably while clutching his chest. Eventually they both calmed down.

"Now we should move swiftly on, please place a drop of blood, upon both your claiming box and list of contracts."

Harry did as directed, once again pricking his finger, with the small ceremonial knife, that Griphook gave him for that purpose. As soon as the blood touched each of the objects he felt a small tingle run up his arm.

"Excellent, now Harry, if you please place your hand upon the box and state like so, I Harry James Potter do claim the Headship of, and the name of the house you wish to claim." Griphook explained.

Harry nodded, took a shaky breath and then placed his hand firmly upon the box, which he noticed, was vibrating under his hand slightly.

"I, Harry James Potter do claim Headship of the Ancient and Noble Houses of Potter and Black"

As he intoned the words, he felt a much larger tingle under his hand and a small pop as the box shook slightly. He glanced at Griphook, who just motioned for him to open the box. Taking a deep breath he opened the box and saw two almost plain rings sat on the oak bottom. One of the rings was a thick band of gold, with some kind of black gem, as big as his thumb nail, embedded in the centre. As he examined that ring more closely he saw that the inside of the ring bore the inscription 'Toujours Pur'.

"What does 'oujours Pur' mean?" Harry asked curiously.

"I do believe that it was probably the Black Family motto, Harry, and it's French for 'always pure', probably in reference to blood." Griphook supplied helpfully.

"Great everyone is going to think I'm a big fat bigot." Harry grumbled, causing Griphook to smile slightly.

"I don't think there is much danger of that Harry."

Harry just nodded relieved and examined the second ring, the Potter family ring. This ring was less thick than the Black ring, but was still clearly meant to be worn by a man, and there was a large multi-faceted ruby, which was flanked by etchings of a Lion and a Griffin who were holding a banner above the ruby, upon which Harry could just discern a few words.

"Bob Amser Yn wir" Harry said aloud. "What is that, Celtic?"

"No Mr Potter, that's Welsh, the Potters are from Wales originally, and it means 'always true'" Professor Dumbledore supplied.

Harry held the ring up and let the light play over the ruby and was amazed that the ruby appeared so much deeper than it actually was. Professor Dumbledore made a noise of interest as he examined the ring, while Griphook's eyes narrowed.

"Mr Potter, Harry, I think that if you wore the Potter ring as a bracelet you might get a nice surprise." Griphook said smugly.

Harry nodded and wondered how he could make the ring into a bracelet, but no sooner had he thought it, the ring began to get bigger and heavier until he was holding a bracelet an inch and half thick with a huge ruby in the centre of the top and smaller rubies in the eyes of the Lion and Griffin.

"Wow. I didn't know rubies could get so big." Harry exclaimed as he fingered the now inch wide ruby.

"Most don't Harry, but long ago a Potter Lord did a huge service to the goblins of Gringotts, they in turn gifted him with this beautiful piece, so that he could be marked a friend of the goblins, he only served to heighten the honour he had earned when he made it his families ring." Griphook supplied.

"Wow." Was all Harry could articulate, as he held the probably priceless piece of Jewellery in his hand. Smiling at Griphook and the Professor he slipped the bracelet onto his right wrist where it tightened slightly until he could feel the oddly warm gold against his skin.

A small tingle around his wrist, was the only warning that something was going to happen, before he could say anything he felt an extreme numbness fill his body and his head went extremely light as if all the blood had drained from it instantaneously. Just as quick as it came the sensation disappeared. Panting Harry decided to quickly put on the Black ring, hoping to get any unpleasantness over with quickly, but this time there was only a strong tingle in his arm. Breathing a sigh of relief, he grinned shakily at Griphook and Professor Dumbledore.

"That was eerily similar to the sensation of getting poisoned by basilisk venom." Harry remarked curiously.

"Well Mr Potter, Harry, I would love to hear the story behind that comment, but, another time eh? Shall we fill out your forms?" Griphook asked with a grin.

"Indeed, we really must hurry we only have half an hour before Mr Black's trial harry" Dumbledore said after checking an unusual looking pocket watch.

"Sure, well you two can witness for the forms right? And Griphook if you want to hear the tale why not just come to the Ministry of Magic later and listen as we present evidence to the Wizengamot?"

Griphook had a sly grin on his face. "Is that an official invitation Lord Potter?"

Sure he was missing something Harry looked to Professor Dumbledore who looked like he knew exactly what Griphook was talking about, he gestured for Harry to continue.

"Of course, I Lord Harry Potter do hereby invite you to attend the Wizengamot as my guest on this day." Harry didn't know where the words had come from but as soon as he said them he felt a tingle and then with a small, pop, an official looking scroll appeared in front of Griphook, who gave a feral smile.

"Mr Potter, I do believe we are going to have a _very _profitable relationship."

Harry just smiled a little unsure of what was going on.

"Ermm what just happened?" Harry asked nervously.

"We don't have time now Mr Potter, we really must hurry. Let us quickly fill out these forms and head to the ministry." The headmaster urged.

"Of course, do you have a quill Griphook?" Harry asked.

Griphook of course produced a red quill very similar to the one he had used yesterday he mused. Taking the quill he signed where appropriate on all the forms, Harry even had to put a drop of blood on his Ascension forms. Working together the unlikely trio soon had all the forms filled our fully, which Griphook then handed to Harry.

"Simply touch your wand to the paperwork and it'll disappear and be filed at the ministry." Griphook told him.

Doing as directed Harry was none the less startled when the paperwork vanished with a small pop, leaving two official looking scrolls in their place.

Harry took the smallest, opened it and read aloud.

"Dear Lord Harry J. Potter, the ministry of magic would like to congratulate you on your emancipation, and confirm that your area or residence will no longer be monitored for under age magic. We would like to remind you however that it is your responsibility to uphold the statute of secrecy in your residential area. It also my pleasure to inform you that you may now visit the Ministry of Magic at your leisure to take your Apparation license test. Sincerely, Mafalda Hopkirk, Improper use of magic office, Ministry of Magic. What's Apparation?" Harry asked aloud.

"It's a method of travel for wizards. Difficult to learn, and disastrous when done wrong but extremely useful. I'm something of a master of Apparation myself, I invented a couple of new ways to do it, oh, fifty years ago now." Professor Dumbledore reminisced.

"Could you teach me how to do it please, sir?" Harry asked hesitantly. "Then I wouldn't have to rely upon the Dursleys to transport me about."

Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a second but then nodded with a grin.

"I think I can do that Harry, I may even teach you a few tricks that only a few people know how to do, and a few that only I can do." Dumbledore added slyly.

"Great thanks sir. What's this other one I wonder?" Harry mused aloud as he untied the roll of parchment and opened it.

"Dear Lord Potter-Black, It is my great pleasure to welcome you into the ranks of the Wizengamot, your claim to the seats for the Houses Black and Potter have been confirmed, as has your decision to allow Lady Bones and Lord Dumbledore to respectively fill in as your proxies, for houses Potter and Black respectively. You of course have a standing offer to visit the Chambers of the Wizengamot, which can be found in courtroom nine at the Ministry of Magic, as well as the right to raise Bills and Motions in the Wizengamot itself. You may also invite any who you see fit to observe Wizengamot proceedings. Yours sincerely, Adrian Weatherby, Official Wizengamot scribe."

"I must say Harry, it's quite an adult decision to split your seats between my and Madam Bones. May I ask why you did so?" Dumbledore asked with his eyes twinkling.

"Well, you and Madam Bones both seem to be good people concerned with what is right and good, but I noticed you don't really get on so much, but maybe now you two will realise you have something in common and will be able to work together more often." Harry said confidently.

The idea had come to him when he was thinking of how Dumbledore and Madam Bones seemed to be on the outs last night. Madam Bones was clearly an efficient woman who cared about justice and Dumbledore cared more than anything for the students of the school and the 'Greater Good', he thought that it was time for him to start acting like a Slytherin and maybe make an ally or two.

"An interesting idea Mr Potter. I have often said that Lord Voldemort's greatest weapon is his ability to separate us and that we should stand together. Maybe it is time I listen to my own advice, eh?" He chuckled good naturedly.

"Now, Harry, I had wanted to get some money from your vault for you to buy supplies, but it seems time has gotten away from us. I think then, we shall have to return later to get your money." Dumbledore said after once more consulting his watch.

"I should think that by this afternoon my colleagues will have been able to draw up a quote for your basilisk Mr Potter, as well as getting your copy of the previous audit of your vaults, one more question, will you be requiring a copy of the audit of the Black vaults also?"

"Yes please, Griphook." Harry replied.

"Very well then Harry, I believe it is time for us to be on our way. Thank you for your assistance in these matters Master Griphook."

"Yes, thanks Griphook, I hope I'll see you at the Wizengamot meeting." Harry said nervously, as he dropped a little bow to the goblin.

Griphook just grinned in reply and dipped his head in acknowledgement of the bow.

"Come now Harry, we must hurry." Dumbledore said as he strode towards the open doors which led to Diagon alley.

"Aren't we going by floo sir?" Harry asked confused.

"No, I thought that we would get a start on your education on Apparation. I'm going to side-along Apparate you to the ministry, so you can experience Apparation, hopefully this will make it easier for you to reproduce the effects." Dumbledore explained gently.

Harry nodded at the explanation and wondered what Apparation would feel like. His experience with the Floo system had left him a little leery of magical transportation. His musing were cut short as the unlikely couple reached the doors of Gringotts and stepped out into the morning sun. Diagon Alley was just starting show signs of life, shops owners were arranging window displays and stalls outside, over at Florean Fortescue's, Harry could see Florean setting out the tables and chairs which sat in front of his store.

"Now, Harry if you would please take my arm and grasp it tightly." Dumbledore said as he offered his left arm to Harry.

Harry grabbed the Professor's arm just above the elbow and held it in a firm grip which got a nod of approval from the Professor.

"Now, I want you to close your eyes, and focus on finding your magic inside yourself. It's always there deep in your chest, just below your heart waiting for you to call it to the surface. You can usually feel it rush down your arm when you cast a spell, but now I want you to take it and imagine it spreading all through your body, travelling through your veins and filling you up until it feels like the magic is going to burst through your skin."

Dumbledore's voice became softer and softer as he lulled Harry into something quite like a meditative trance as he focused on finding his magic. Within a few seconds Harry could feel one of the intermittent hot flashes, he'd been feeling since the chamber begin, and remembering what Madam Pomfrey had said, about it being a magical growth spurt, he focused with all his might on the hot feeling and followed it back to his chest, right below his heart as Dumbledore had said and he _pushed._

Immediately Harry felt something inside him swell, and then there was a rush of heat spreading from his back all over his body. Within seconds his entire body felt as if he was about to burst into flames but instead of shying away from it, as he had previously, he revelled in the heat and pushed the magic even more. Pretty soon his entire body felt as if he was burning alive, yet oddly the sensation of magic filling him up made him feel powerful and in control.

Suddenly he felt Dumbledore begin to turn and he instinctively held tighter as a feeling of immense pressure washed over him, he was pressed very hard from all directions; he could not breathe, there were iron bands tightening around his chest; his eyeballs were being forced back into his head; his ear-drums were being pushed deeper into his skull. Until it all stopped.


End file.
